Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention relates to holding devices and is particularly related to holding base systems that can be quickly and easily mounted to a variety of surfaces to receive a wide range of clamping devices that are used to secure other objects in place.
Principal objects of the present invention are to provide a holding base that is readily and easily connected to a variety of support surfaces and that will then receive articles to be secured, or a variety of clamping devices that will hold articles to be secured to the support surfaces. The articles to be held may include clamping devices that will secure other articles in place in a selected orientation or may be other articles themselves that are positioned in a selected orientation with respect to the surfaces.
Yet other objects of the invention are to provide a holding base that is particularly suited to attachment to vehicles and even more particularly to bicycles, motorcycles and off-highway vehicles, so that articles such as containers, fishing equipment, tools, guns, safety equipment, cameras, telephones, pagers, position locators, water bottles and other convenience items can be readily attached to the vehicle for carrying and/or use purposes and that can be easily and quickly removed from the vehicle.
Still other objects are to provide a holding base system that may be fitted with different types of anchor straps to pass around and to tightly grip articles. secured to a support surface such as a vehicle.
Yet other objects are to provide a clamping device that is rotated with respect to the holding base, as desired, to insure secure holding of objects held by the clamping device, or a plurality of clamping devices, in a selected orientation.
Principle features of the invention include a base unit with a platform having holes therethrough to receive the ends of a U-bolt clamp, or to receive screws or bolts to secure the base unit to a surface on which the unit is mounted. A shaft extending from the platform is exteriorly splined and has a central hole therethrough to receive and secure an article to be mounted to the surface or to receive an article holder.
The article holder may include a socket with an encircling wall projecting from a base of the socket and the wall having a splined interior. The top of the socket has a hole therethrough. A resilient block fits snugly into a top of the socket and may be bolted in place. A V-notch in the top of the block receives an article to be mounted to the surface to which the base unit is secured. A pair of oppositely extending flexible gripper straps project from opposite sides of the block and the V-notch to provide means for anchoring a selected article to the resilient block. Each gripper strap has at least a pair of spaced apart projections along outer edges thereof to serve as positioners for an independent strap that is secured to the base of the socket and that passes around the gripper straps to secure objects held within the gripper straps to a surface. A rigid band formed around the periphery of the socket is connected to three corners of the base and is spaced from three sides. The band is fully secured to the other side of the base and has a hook thereon to cooperate with an expandable independent strap.
Alternatively, a flexible strap having hook and loop connectors can be easily used.
The holding base unit is quickly and easily attached to and removed from a desired surface. When attached to the surface one or more of the holding base units readily receive other articles, or other article holders, having an interiorly splined socket that will fit onto the socket. Because of the cooperating splined post and socket, secure holding is achieved even though the article or article holder being attached to the holding base unit may be rotated to a desired position before the matching splined components are telescoped and bolted together. The block of the article holder may be oriented with respect to the socket, as desired, to permit use of a selected independent strap.
In another embodiment, the article holder may include a socket with an interior wall with spines that cooperate with the exterior splines of the shaft projecting from the platform of the base holding unit. Bifurcated arms, with or without interiorly extending flexible vanes extend from the socket to receive an article, or articles, to be held.
A T-bar adapter provides a means for interconnecting a single base holding unit to a plurality of article holders.
Additional objects and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from the following detailed description and drawings.